Device for carrying mail.



H. H. MEYER.

DEVICE FOR-CARRYING MAIL. APPLICATION FILED JUNB14,191'3.

Jj am@ CoLUMmA PLANDGRAPH CD..WASI-mm'rmll D. C.

UNTEE STATES PATENT FFICE.

HENRY H. MEYER, OF RED WING, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR CARRYING MAIL.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY H. MEYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Red lVing, in the county of Goodhue and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forCarrying Mail; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention is in the nature of a device for carrying mail, and whileit is especially intended for use on rural mail routes to carry mailfrom the road along which the carrier travels to the houses of thepatrons and back, it is equally well adapted for carrying mail or lightmerchandise between any two points within a reasonable distance of eachother.

The primary object of the invention is to provide improved means wherebymail brought by a carrier may be transported by hand power from thestation on the road to the residence of the patron in order tov dispensewith the necessity of the patron walking to the station, or the carrierwalking to the residence, and thereby effecting a very great economy intime and labor.

The specific object of the invention will be particularly set forthhereinafter, and the invention consists in the improved construction,arrangement and combination of the parts of a device of the characterspecified, which will be hereinafter fully described, and afterwardspecifically claimed.

In order that the construction and operation thereof may be readilycomprehended, I will now proceed to fully describe my invention inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an approvedembodiment thereof, and in which drawings,

Figure 1 represents in elevation, the complete apparatus for conveyingmail in accordance with my invention, the middle portion of the trackwire, operating wire and posts being broken out to shorten the gure.Fig. 2 represents the same devices in plan view. Fig. 3 represents anenlarged sectional view taken on a transverse plane cutting through thewires at any point thereon, said plane being indicated in Fig. 1 by thebroken line 3 3. Fig. et represents an enlarged end elevation, the polebeing broken away. Fig. 5 represents a modified bracket.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 14, 1913.

Patented Feb. 10,1914.

Serial No. 773,797.

Like reference characters mark the same parts in all of the figures ofthe drawings.

Referring specifically tothe drawings, 5 indicates a pole of anyordinary form and construction, erected at the station or stopping placeof the carrier on a rural mail route, or at one terminal of the line, ifused for other purposes, while 6 represents a pole erected at theresidence of the patron of the rural mail route, c-r at the otherterminal of the line when used for other purposes, and 7 representsintermediate poles.

To the pole 5 is secured a substantially triangular bracket orsupporting plate 8, while a similar bracket 9 is secured to the otherterminal pole 6. Attached to the brackets 8 are bearings 10 for anupright shaft 11, which carries at its upper end, a horizontal pulley orslieave 12, while at its lower end it carries a beveled pinion 13 whichmeshes with a beveled gear 14 mounted on a shaft 15, journaled in thelower end of the bracket 8 and provided with a crank handle 16, or othersuitable means by which it may be turned by hand. At the other terminal,bearings 17 are provided for a vertical shaft 18 which carries at itsupper end a horizontal pulley or sheave 19, of the same size as thepulley 12. The upright shaft with its gearing and crank handle may alsobe duplicated on the pole 6 if so desired, whereby the device may beoperated from either end of the line.

Upon each intermediate pole 7 are secured on opposite sides horizontalbrackets 20 which have at their outer ends vertical upwardly extendingflanges 21. On opposite sides of the posts 7, at their upper ends, aresecured outwardly inclined brackets 22 which at their outer ends arebent into vertical positions at 23, which lie against the flanges 21,and are secured thereto, the brackets 22 being continued from the bottomof said vertical portions 23 and turned upward at 24, forminghorizontally extending vertical arms 25 parallel with the verticalportions 23 before mentioned. Between the portion 23 and the verticalflange 25, at the lower end of the inclined brackets 22 on each side ofthe pole, is journaled a sheave or pulley 26 and upon the upper edges ofthe vertical flanges 25, at the ends thereof, as clearly indicated inFig. 1, is secured a wire' or rod 27 which forms a track and which aresecured at each end respectively in the bracket 8, at their upper outer'corners 28, the extended vertical flanges 25 forming bearings for thetrack wire on each side of each pole, whereby the number of polesnecessary is decreased. It will be understood that there is a track wire27 on each side of the line of posts and upon each of these track wiresis mounted a trolley 29, carrying in its upper end a grooved pulley orsheave 30, journaled between the extended body of the trolley and itsdownwardly turned ends 3l, and resting upon the track wire.

Mounted in the upwardly turned lower end 32 of a pair of trolleys 29,and removably secured therein in any suitable manner, is a mail box 33which is cylindrical in cross section and provided with conical ends 34.The mail boxes may be made removable from the trolley frame in anysuitable manner and may be provided with any approved form of door forgiving access to the interior thereof.

Mounted around the sheaves 12 and 19 is an endless wire, cable, or rope,35, wire being preferred, which in its normal position is extended fromend to end of the line, such position being in line with eyes 35asecured to the trolley, through which eyes said wires are passed, butinasmuch as the weight of the wire will cause it to sag, it willnaturally drop in opposite directions from said eyes, and will be guidedby the bracket 22 into position resting upon the top of the pulley orsheave 26, as indicated at 351 in Fig. 3.

By turning the crank handle 16, the shaft 15, beveled gear 14, beveledpinion 13, shaft 11 and pulley or sheave 12, will be rotated, thediameter of the gear and pinion being regulated to give any desiredspeed to such rotation, and the stretches of wire 35 will be carriedaround with the pulley 12 and will carry the pulley 13 around with them,t-he opposite lengths of wire 35 thus traveling continuously in oppositedirections so long as the crank handle is operated. Inasmuch as thewires 35 pass through the eyes 35a, the trolley 29 and mail boxes 33will be carried along with said propelling wires 35, so that, with onemail carrier on one wire, normally located at the station on the ruralroute and the other mail carrier at the residence of the patron,mailmatter may be inserted in both boxes. when, by operating thepropelling mechanism hereinbefore described, by turning the crank handle16, one mail box will be propelled from the station on the rural routeto the residence, and the other will be propelled in the oppositedirection from the residence to the station. Any suitable signalingmechanism may be employed to notify the parties at the opposite end ofthe line when mail matter is to be delivered. It will be understood thatthe mail box which at one operation travels from the residence to thestation, will then take up its normal position at the station ready forthe next operation, and that during the next operation the propelling`mechanism will be turned in the opposite direction, and the directionof motion of the propelling wire will be opposite to that during the.preceding operation so that there will be no necessity for returningthe mail boxes from one station to the other after each operation aswould be required with a single mail box and a single wire.

The bracket 22al of Fig. 5 which may be t substituted for bracket 22,consists of U-shaped sheet metal straddling the wire 27 and secured bycrimping or squeezing the ends 22b on the wire.

All of the parts of the invention are of the simplest character andthere is no liability of breakage or disarrangement with ordinary use.Much time and labor is saved by the use of this invention, and while Ihave specifically described the exact construction and arrangement ofthe various component parts, it will be obvious to those skilled in theart to which the invention most nearly appertains, that changes andvariations may be made therein within reasonable limits, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination witha series of poles, brackets secured upon the terminal poles, a trackwire stretched on each side of the line of poles and secured in theouter upper corners of the terminal bracket, transverse downwardlyextending outwardly inclined brackets on opposite sides of theintermediate poles of the line, said brackets being provided at theirouter lower ends with vertical portions and thence turned upward formingvertical flanges extending horizontally in line of the wires on oppositesides of the poles, said horizontal brackets being provided with seatsfor the track wires at their opposite ends, trolleys mounted to travelon the track wires, mail boxes secured to the trolleys, eyes secured tothe inner sides of the trolleys, horizontal grooved pulleys mounted onthe terminal pole of the line and endless propelling wires mountedaround said pulleys and passing through the eyes on the trolleys, andmeans for rotating the horizontal pulleys to drive the endlesspropelling wire.

2. The combination with a series of poles, brackets secured upon theterminal poles, a track wire stretched on each side of the line of polesand secured in the outer upper corners of the terminal bracket,transverse downwardly extending outwardly inclined brackets on oppositesides of the intermediate poles of the line, said brackets beingprovided at their outer lower ends with vertical portions and thenceturned upward forming vertical flanges extending horizontally in line ofthe wires on opposite sides of the poles, said horizontal brackets beingprovided with seats for the track wires at their opposite ends, trolleysmounted to travel on the track wires, mail boxes secured pelling wire,and grooved supporting pulleys mounted in the brackets below the eyes onthe trolleys, the inclined bracket serving as guides to direct thepropelling wires on opposite sides of the eyes downward into Contactwith said pulleys in opposite directions roin the eyes when said wiressag.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY H. MEYER..

Witnesses: Y

SAMUEL J. NELSON, PETER S. AsLAKsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. C.

